Spain central government moves to block new Catalan vote

MADRID, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Spain's central government took
the first step on Monday towards blocking a "consultation of
citizens" that the Catalonia region intends to hold next month
in the place of a full referendum on independence from Spain
that was barred by a court.

The wealthy, northeastern region earlier this month dropped
plans to hold the referendum planned for Nov. 9, but said it
would still stage a non-binding vote that would be open to
anyone who wanted to cast their ballot.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to block the
initiative if it were found to be illegal and on Monday asked
the Council of State for its opinion on this new consultation --
the first legal step towards preventing the vote.

In a statement released on its website, the prime minister's
office said Rajoy had asked the Council to issue its ruling as a
matter of emergency so that a decision could be made on how to
respond at Friday's cabinet meeting.

Catalonia has its own language and culture. Its
long-standing independence movement has grown over the last
decade, fuelled by Spain's economic crisis and a refusal by
Madrid to meet regional demands for more autonomy.

Spain's Constitutional Court suspended the independence
referendum after the government asked it to declare the vote
illegal. It could now take years to make a definitive ruling.